"Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?"
This is the question Christ asked Peter after He was resurrected and had revealed Himself to His disciples.
Three consecutive times the Lord asked this to Peter. Why? Restoration. Forgiveness. A calling and a purpose.
Recently the Lord has had me looking at Peter. For those of you who do not already know, Peter was one of the twelve apostles who were called, and walked with Jesus during His ministry here on
Earth. (Mark 3:13-19)
During this time Peter witnessed many miracles performed by Christ. Here are just a few examples of some of the amazing things Peter experienced in his time with Jesus....
Witnessing Jesus' transfiguration on the mount. Elijah and Moses appearing to them. The voice of God saying "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"
Jesus paid Peter's taxes out of a fish's mouth.
Jesus raising a twelve year old girl from the dead.
Jesus walks on the sea, brings Peter out, and saves him.
These are just a few places where Peter is specifically mentioned by name. There are many other things he witnessed where the Word just refers to "the disciples". Peter witnessed Christ heal the
sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, turn water into wine, feed thousands with a few loaves of bread and a couple fish... the list goes on and on. Accounts of these can be found through out the
gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
Having all of this knowledge... Having seen these miracles... Having said to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:13-17) with all these things, you would wonder how someone could come against Jesus after all these things. Peter did. And Jesus predicted it. (Matthew 26:31-35) And as all things Jesus predicted, it came to pass. (Mark 14:66-72)
I began to ask myself this question:
Why would someone, after WALKING WITH JESUS, SON OF THE LIVING GOD, for three years deny Christ?
I believe that the Lord answered this for me in a couple different ways.
First of all, I believe that, through the scripture, you can see that Peter struggled with pride. As we saw above, when Jesus predicted that all His disciples would forsake Him, Peter immediately rose up in pride - stating he would never come against the Lord. Looking at his own abilities to lay his life down for our savior - getting puffed up - thinking he could do it in his own strength.
Pride is a nasty thing to fight. I believe that Peter had to be put in a situation where he would fall. Where he would be brought to his knees and humbled. Peter's pride needed to be broken, so that the Lord could use him. After Peter denied Christ he was broken. He wept. He saw that his own strength was not enough. The Lord went on, after forgiving Peter, to use him for amazing things.
Secondly, I believe that Peter went through this to be used as an example of true forgiveness. Think about this... If Peter, a guy who walked with Christ, witnessed all these miracles that we talked about above, denied that he even KNEW Jesus, wasn't even considered to be one of the disciples at a certain point, could be forgiven and turn back to the Lord to be used for great and mighty things, couldn't we?
Just imagine the guilt. The anguish. The shame Peter felt when he heard that rooster crow. He knew in that moment what he had done. He realized his weakness. He realized what he had just spoken. He saw his sin - and felt the weight of it.
Haven't you been there at some point in your life? You've held a relationship with our Lord. You have seen revelation upon revelation unlocked for you in His Word. You've been provided for when it looked like you had no where to turn. You've operated in a spiritual gift. You may have been healed of some physical illness. You may have stepped out of the boat, on to the waves, in faith to stand with Him. You walked with Jesus in as much as we possibly can in this day. But something happened - and you fell away from Him.
At this point you may have tried to hide in this. But there comes a point where you begin to feel that guilt. When you realize how far you've ran from Him. When you realize that trying to do anything out of your own strength is worthless. I found myself in that spot this past October. That is when the Lord showed me this about Peter. Peter felt just as I did - probably worse. He felt the conviction. He knew he forsook Jesus. He was broken. He was humbled.
But this is the glorious part. Jesus forgave Peter.
Three times Jesus asked Peter if Peter loved Him. After each confirmation, Jesus gave Peter an assignment. He instructed Peter to "feed My lambs", "tend My sheep", and "feed My sheep". And ultimately told Peter to "Follow Me". Jesus forgave Peter and then called him to go.
Peter went on to do great things in the Lord. He spoke bold sermons (Acts 2:14-39). He
healed a lame man and rebuked religious leaders (Acts 3:1-26). He was
arrested, and released, and arrested, and released. He imparted the Holy Spirit to people (Acts 8:14-25).
He was given a special calling by the Lord to go and share the gospel with the gentiles. (Acts 10:9-48).
He went on to write 1 & 2 Peter. All these things done through the power of Christ - and not through Peter's own abilities. Do you think if Peter's pride wasn't broken, that he would
have been able to let the Lord work through him in the way that he did? I truly do not think so.
Am I saying that Peter never made a mistake after his big screw up? No! In fact Paul calls Peter out and rebukes him for being hypocritical. (Galatians 2:11-21)
What I am saying though, is that without the Lord allowing Satan to sift Peter as wheat (Luke 22:31) and break that pride Peter was holding onto, Peter would not have gone on to do what the Lord used him to do.
I feel like this is true for us as well. The Lord allows certain things to happen... knowing we will be shown something in our hearts we need to get rid of. He desires for us to be pure. He calls us to "Be holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:16). Jesus says in John 15:2 "every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." In Hebrews 12:6 it says "For whom the Lord loves, He chastens, And scourges every Son whom He receives".
I believe that when I fell away for a time, there were things that had to be broken in me when the Lord called me back. He has increased my faith. He has worked miracles in my life. He has shown me more and more of His grace and His faithfulness.
Him showing me this with Peter, was His way of encouraging me. Through this the Lord showed me that even one of the men that He walked with DAILY FOR THREE YEARS IN THE FLESH fell away and denied Him... and he was still forgiven... and the Lord still used him.
This is forgiveness people. We can sit and complain and allow the enemy to bring condemnation. We can choose to receive the lie from the enemy that we will never get back to where we were... that the Lord wont ever use us again.. that we are worthless.
OR
We can choose to receive the truth that is shown in the Word through Peter's situation. Even though we may stumble and we may have fallen... He is a gracious and forgiving God who wants to bring
us into the full manifestation of Christ and use us to do great and powerful things in Him.
I don't know about you, but I am choosing the latter. I am choosing to accept what the Word says about me, not what the enemy tries to bring.
I am choosing to trust the Lord that He knows what He is doing and I just need to submit to Him.
So, just as Jesus asked Simon Peter, Do you love Him?
Because He is waiting for you. To restore you. To use you for His glory.
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